Gautier and Poplarville each face a powerhouse in Hattiesburg in bids for state titles
One year ago the Mississippi Coast stayed home as state championship games played out just up Highway 49 in Hattiesburg.
That won’t be the case this year. Gautier and Poplarville each secured seats at the table for the final round of football after winning the 5A and 4A South State titles.
Gautier is scheduled to meet West Point at M.M. Roberts Stadium Friday at 7:30 p.m. while Poplarville has a date with Louisville Saturday at 3:30 p.m.
The full schedule of games can be found at sunherald.com.
Here’s a look at the two battles the Gators and Hornets are preparing for.
Gautier vs West Point
Head coach Marc High calls them the “cardiac kids.”
Gautier is here for the first time in school history, but it hasn’t exactly made it an easy journey. Half of its 12 wins have come in one-score games, including all three of its playoff wins.
The Gators wouldn’t be representing the South side of the state if not for two missed field goals by Brookhaven in the final second of the semifinal round.
But High calls it “Trophy season” for a reason. Gautier has hardware from a summer 7-on-7 tournament, the Port City Bowl, the Singing River Classic, a district championship and the South State championship. Now it faces a powerhouse still holding onto last year’s 5A Gold Ball for a shot at a sixth trophy.
West Point has won seven straight playoff games and is making an incredible 9th straight appearance in the state title game. It’s 12 all-time state championships are tied for the most in Mississippi history.
“(West Point) hasn’t won anything this year,” High told the Sun Herald. “That’s all in their history so nothing’s been won this year. We’re taking it like we do every week and we’re trying to go 1-0 vs West Point this week.”
The Green Wave haven’t strayed from tradition in their philosophy. Opposite Gautier’s high-flying offense will be a ground-and-pound attack led by speedster Shamane Clarke. The senior has over 1,400 rushing yards and will occasionally line up at quarterback.
His backfield mate Cam Randle is 55 yards shy of his own 1,000-yard season and the offense has produced over 3,000 yards on the ground.
First-year head coach Brett Morgan has also produced the team’s best defense since 2021, allowing just 14 points per game.
West Point prefers the football in its hands and limits possessions and opportunities for its opponents.
“They’re definitely a ball-control offense,” High said. “They want to pound you and get four yards a pop and just keep time of possession in their hands. It’s going to be a great task for us.”
The one thing West Point doesn’t have is 5A Mr. Football. Gautier quarterback Trey Irving owns that honor and has proven his worth with 10 total touchdowns in three postseason games.
The Gators will be relying heavily on the leadership of inside linebacker Fred Nicholson and his 142 tackles, as well, and does have the services of Solomon Baggett, the former 1,000-yard rusher who is back from injury and lining up on the edge.
Poplarville vs Louisville
Poplarville coach Jay Beech has repeatedly applauded the fight his Hornets have displayed throughout the season and it’s easy to see why.
Poplarville was denied a region championship by Greene County, but has since battled its way to being the only non-No. 1 seed in the state to make the trek to Hattiesburg.
The Hornets did so by winning back-to-back playoff games by a single point and the semifinal game over Forest by just three points.
The fight displayed by Poplarville is indicative of a program with 13 region titles and five South State championships to its name. But there’s one banner yet unclaimed, and that’s a state championship.
Saturday’s awaiting opponent is part of the reason why the Hornets are still in search of a Gold Ball. Louisville has defeated Poplarville in the state championship twice already, once in 2018 and again in 2020.
The Wildcats are one of the state’s most consistent powers. In fact, they’re the team tied with West Point for most state championships.
“We have a group of fighters on this team,” Beech said. “We don’t flinch under pressure. We expect it to be a tight game and we’ll be suited for it.”
Louisville will bring a run-first offense that can move the ball through the air or on the ground behind quarterback-running back duo Xavier Hunt and Zaiden Jernigan. The latter is only a freshman and is the team’s leading rusher with 1,386 yards on 7.7 yards a carry.
He’s found the end zone 22 times and his spell Xzarion Haynes has scored 12 times. Senior wide receiver Kameron Triplett spreads the offense from the outside and has hauled 50 receptions with eight touchdowns.
The Wildcat defense has been the program calling card and 2024 hasn’t been any different. Louisville has given up just 20 total points in four postseason games, winning by an average margin of 38 points.
“We’ve got to get as many first downs as possible, we cannot consistently go three and out against them or we’ll get beat,” Beech said. “Defense, we just have to play tough, tackle in space and just be as physical as we can.”
Poplarville can limit the amount of opportunities Louisville gets, but staying ahead of the sticks with its stable of running backs is imperative.
Nick Miller’s 1,037 yards leads a team boasting six different players over 300 rushing yards. This includes Ty Keys, who returned full-time this postseason and is coming off a 150-yard performance last week.
